


A Feral Assassin's Birthday

by Neisseria_Meningitidis



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: And you think your family is weird?, Birthday Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, It's huting season, Minor Character Death, Mom!Elsa - Dad!Dubaru - Child!Meili, Pancakes, Pride If! Subaru, Pride If!Elsa, Pride If!Meili, Pride if! Ferris, Some guts for Elsa, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27508204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neisseria_Meningitidis/pseuds/Neisseria_Meningitidis
Summary: Subaru and Elsa insisted on giving Meili 'The birthday experience'. They have their own definition of 'The birthday experience'.
Comments: 30
Kudos: 109





	A Feral Assassin's Birthday

Meili woke up with teary eyes after spending one of the worst nights of her life. She hated sleeping in the capital’s base of operation, the bed was horrendously soft. She would rather sleep on the good old hard floor, but Elsa insisted on her learning to adjust to every kind of sleeping accommodation. 

She got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. She forced herself to remain awake by splashing ice cold water on her face. The thermal shock was brutal but deeply needed. She then conscientiously washed herself with a washcloth, soap, and the same freezing water. She completed her morning routine by braiding her hair into a side braid and putting her favorite hairpin. It was Elsa’s idea to style it that way and she did so ever since. 

The base was a small two-bedroom house, on the outskirts of the city. It was poorly furnished, but it was good enough to spend a few nights when they had business in the capital. And they had a lot of business in the capital lately. She was considered lucky to have her room, but she’d rather sleep with them in the other room. It would make her feel less lonely... 

Putting on her light grey dress, she went to the small kitchen to calm her crying stomach. She was always ravenous in the morning and could easily eat for three. Absentmindedly waltzing in the kitchen, she took a few seconds to notice that it was oddly empty. Elsa was a night owl, but usually Su-

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEILI.” somebody shouted behind her.  
“Ah yes, happy birthday, sweetheart.” someone else whispered. “But please, be more aware of your surrendering from now on. Were we your foe… it would have ended badly.” 

Meili jumped in surprise and quickly turned around. She forgot that today was her assigned birthday. The idea was silly, she learned to live with the fact that she didn’t have one a long time ago. But he insisted on doing it anyway. 

“Smile, little dove! A birthday is a merry day to be celebrated!” he pinched her cheeks. 

Meili often thought that her life was better before he barged into it, but she had to admit that Subaru had wormed his way into her heart. Life was just not the same without him. He was the worst.

“Don’t be too hard on him. But don’t be too soft either.” Elsa said.  
“What does that mean?” Subaru let Meili go to pinch Elsa’s cheek instead.  
“It means that it’s time to prepare breakfast, don’t you think?” she smiled suggestively. 

Subaru didn’t let go of her face, Elsa’s charms were ineffective on him. His heart was already taken, after all. 

“Yes! You must be as hungry as Gulitylowe right now!”  
“Woof! Woof!” Gulitylowe jumped into place.  
“I was thinking about some pancake making! But more importantly, some pancake flipping!” Subaru clapped at the genius of his own idea.  
“The fu-” Elsa raised an eyebrow at Meili. “I mean, could you tell me what a ‘pancake’ is?”  
“Better.” Elsa smiled.  
“Ah! Let me show you! I already made the mix!”

Subaru had his pancake setup prepared since five in the morning. He showed them how to pour the mix on the pan, and most importantly when and how to flip it. Both Elsa and Meili sat at the small table, admiring Subaru’s skills. 

“And voilà!” Subaru served the first pancake to Meili. “You can add some jam or honey on them.” he put the honey jar next to her. “Too bad for you, maple syrup doesn’t exist here.” he laughed at a joke only him could understand. 

Meili chose to cover it generously in sweet, sweet honey. She fearlessly took a big bite and-

“It’s delicious!” Sometimes Subaru’s strange recipe could be good! She shared some with Elsa and Gulitylowe.  
“I agree, way better than the ‘mayonnaise’ fiasco.” Elsa loved to tease the amateur cook.  
“Watch your tongue!” he pouted, like the grown adult he was. “Anyway, it’s your turn behind the stove!”

Both girls tried themselves at the pan under the careful supervision of Subaru. Elsa mastered it with her first try, making perfect, soft, and round pancakes. Meili’s were more abstract, she tried her best but the pancake’s mix was being all tsundere on her (Horror, she was beginning to parrot Subaru’s nonsense). 

“It’s ok to try and fail. You’ll have better luck with this one, I feel it!” Subaru poured more mix on the pan. 

He lied. The pancake became black as a piece of charcoal under two seconds and glued itself to the pan. She took the spatula and started to scrape the underside of the pancake, abusing the pan in the process. After unsticking it, she insisted on flipping it (it was the best part). 

“1, 2, 3… Go!” 

She could only watch in horror as not only the pancake but the whole pan minus the handle flew in the air. Fortunately, she got pushed off the way of the flying burning hazard. Unfortunately, it smashed Subaru’s head in consequence. 

“Aah!” he was almost knock-out by the impact. 

Meili could only wince in sympathy. 

“Meili, sweetheart. Could you please fetch Ferris? He must be in our room.” she shooed her away. “Go! Go!"

Meili went to get Ferris, he was new to the team but she liked him alright. He was quite cute with his fluffy ears and very obedient. When Subaru first brought him, she thought it was a very bad idea. To be honest, he did nothing but whisper the same sentences ad nauseam. But after a few days of... ‘coaching’, he was as good as new! It wasn’t even the work of torture, just a clever use of ‘positive reinforcement’. Subaru was really a man of many unexpected talents. That’s why she had to fetch Ferris fast!

“You’re looking for me, nyah?” Ferris taps on her shoulder.  
“Yes, come with me! Subaru needs you!”  
“Master needs me?!?” he looked strangely pleased with the idea. “Being useful to master is the best!” 

She took him by the hand and guided him to the kitchen. She could have told him to go there by himself, but sometimes he had trouble with elaborate orders. She couldn’t risk him wasting time doing whatever. 

Once Ferris caught sight of his ‘Master’ he rushed to his side. The nape of his neck was seriously burned and bloody. It was ugly, but nothing he couldn’t fix easily. Focusing mana in his hands, he let it flow toward the injury. The skin absorbed the water magic, healing completely in seconds. 

“There you go! Is Master satisfied?” 

Subaru rubbed his neck, he believed Ferris but he still needed to confirm it for himself. 

“Great job! Who is a good kitty?” Subaru clapped his hands in satisfaction. “You get to eat at the table with us today.”  
“Nyah!” he was so happy. 

When rewarding Ferris, Elsa or Meili gave him head pats or scratched him behind his ears. But Subaru knew Ferris' true weakness, even though his lukewarm reaction would indicate the contrary. Using his finger, he stroked Ferris gently under the chin. The feeling was so pleasant that Ferris wouldn’t even vocalize his satisfaction, he just focused on the sensation. 

“Now sit, I’ll make you one shaped like a mouse!”  
“Nyyaaah, thank you!” 

Meili sat next to Ferris, having given up the flipping shenanigans. So she just enjoyed the show and the food. She would have struck up a conversation with Ferris, but he didn’t have anything interesting to say. She remembered Subaru saying that he was once a charismatic knight, but there was nothing charismatic about him anymore. How depressing…

“Tell me, Meili, I hope you didn’t forget the most important thing about birthdays.” Elsa put her hands on Meili’s shoulders.  
“Ahhh. It’s the…” she didn’t know.  
“I see..” Elsa giggled. “It’s the cake and presents. So don’t eat too many of them.” she picked up a box on the counter.  
“Cake?”  
“Tada.” 

Elsa opened the box, showing a small but beautiful cake. 

“I hope you like it. I choose it… personally. But don’t worry; no sweet guts in it. My little mister killjoy made sure of it.” she winked at Subaru.  
“All our candles are way too big for the cake. So have this one!” Ignoring Elsa, he put a massive candle in front of Meili. “Now make a wish!” 

Meili pondered about what wish she could make. She didn’t believe in the wish-granting power of Subaru’s oversized candle, but still, it didn’t hurt to play along. She thought about what she already had. 

She had Elsa, a true sister to her heart (almost a mother?), the woman who taught her everything.  
She had Subaru, who quickly became a wacky older brother to her, he was both a playmate and a confidant.  
She had Gulitylowe, her loyal companion, even though he wasn’t human (it was a quality in her eyes) he was a cute little brother to her.  
She didn’t notice until now, but she slowly built herself her little family. If only it could last forever…

That’s it! She had her wish. Closing her eyes, she blew the candle on the first try. 

“CONGRATULATION! MEILI! MEILI! MEILI!” Subaru was ecstatic.  
“Meili! Meili! Nyah!” Was he joyful too? Was he just parroting his master? 

Elsa brought another box, this one she left unopened. She gave it to Meili, without letting her taste the cake, she must be excited too.

“Here is your present, sweetheart.” 

Meili inspected the box, it was much bigger than the cake’s box. She pulled on the purple ribbon surrounding it, untying the knot in one swift motion. She was getting impatient too, she had no idea about the content of the box. She lifted the top of it and looked inside.

It was a set of homemade rag dolls. There were so many of them: a Meili, an Elsa, a Subaru, a Gulitylowe, an Emilia (Subaru’s decision), a Reinhard (Elsa’s decision?), and a little Ferris. They were adorable, with button eyes and removable clothes! Picking up the Reinhard doll, she looked at what was under his coat, only to find a bizarre trapdoor.

“Ah, you discovered the surprise!” Elsa took the doll. “ You see, if you open this little door, you get access to its guts!” she looked euphoric. “Ain’t it fabulous, you get to play with the incredible sword saint’s intestines.” she started to unravel the fabric guts from the doll. “All the dolls have this incredible feature!”  
“Ah… Wonderful.” To each their own. They had their obsession, she had hers. 

The dolls were an incredible gift, she loved them all. She won’t play with the ‘hidden feature’ often, but it was still added interactivity. And she could play at being Elsa more effectively now. 

“Thank you! They’re the best!” 

As soon as she finished her thanks, she got pulled in a group hug. 

“You deserve them, sweetheart.”  
“I can sew the trapdoor shut if you want.” whispered Subaru in her ear.  
“Excuse me?” Elsa asked sweetly.  
“I can sew you another doll of your choice if you want.”  
“Better.” Elsa looked at Subaru with a satisfied face. 

Putting the dolls aside for the moment, she cut everyone a piece of the cake. They ate in silence, enjoying the tranquility of the moment. Elsa and she were assassins and Subaru was a witch cultist, their lives were usually pretty chaotic. 

She wondered what their next mission would be. They were hired by Subaru to help him put his precious Emilia on the throne. And what started as a normal job became a thrilling adventure and the start of an unsettling friendship. Making friends with your client was a big no-no, and yet…

Subaru's master plan to put his beloved on the throne was a chaotic mess. Yet all his moves, no matter how impulsive or risqué, were a success. It’s as if this man could not fail. Nobody could survive his twisted mind and unshakeable determination. Even Meili found Subaru scary sometimes. 

“Meili, sweetheart.” Elsa caught Meili’s attention. “Since it’s your day, you get to choose what we’re going to do this afternoon.”  
“Let your heart decide. Whatever you choose, we will follow! You’re the boss today!” Subaru ruffled her hair.  
“You’re the boss, Nyah!” 

Meili opened her eyes wide, what an opportunity! But what a responsibility! Her little mind got to work, she had to find something fun and out of the ordinary. Something they rarely did… She took Gulitylowe in her arms, petting his head as she thought about every possibility.

“What would you choose for your birthday?” she asked, searching for ideas.  
“Aaaah… If I could choose anything for my birthday...” Elsa placed herself behind Subaru. “The greatest thing you could do for me…” she slipped her hand under Subaru’s shirt, caressing sensually his belly.  
“Don’t say it.” he said.  
“Is… Is letting me have a taste at those wonderful guts.” she drew circles around his belly button with her thumbs.  
“Over my dead body.” he denied her without a second thought.  
“Is that an invitation?” she whispered in his ear, she was getting excited.  
“I’m sorry Elsa, but I have to refuse your advances. I have no interest in starring in a shady snuff movie.”  
“My, my… What a cruel man. Playing with a girl’s heart.”  
“GET A ROOM YOU TWO!” Meili had enough, she knew those kinds of flirting belonged to the bedroom. 

Elsa removed her hand from under Subaru’s shirt. This man only had eyes for his half-elf princess. He had such bizarre tastes. 

Meili concluded that she needed advice from a less biased source. 

“Tell me, Gulitylowe! What do you want to do today?” she seriously asked.  
“Woof! Woof!” he said.  
“You want to playyyyyy~?”  
“Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!”  
“I see…”

Gulitylowe wanted to play and she wanted to too. Everything they did recently was about Subaru’s fair lady. It was time to play a game just to play, no pressure! 

“I’ve decided!”  
“Really, tell us, sweetheart.”  
“I want a hunt!”  
“What a wonderful idea! You’re truly a playful little girl.” Elsa seemed to like the idea.  
“Excuse me… But what do you mean by ‘a hunt’?” 

Meili wanted to ask what was difficult to understand, but she remembered that he was no assassin. He never had to go on a ‘hunting trip’, it was never part of his training. She wondered what was the training of a witch cultist. 

“It’s when you’re assigned a random target, to ‘hunt’ in a particular situation to hone your skill as an assassin.” Elsa answered. “Meili is so conscientious, she wants to work on her birthday. But if that's what you want, let’s do it~.”  
“What? Wait. Who’s gonna be the target? I don’t understand…” 

He was being difficult, Elsa’s explanation was perfect! 

“Don’t worry about it, boss. We’re going to find a fun challenge. I know she wants you to participate, but you’re not forced to.”  
“No, that’s not it. The problem is that you want to run around and kill innocent people for the hell of it!” 

Elsa brought her hand to her mouth, feigning shock. 

“My, my. Did you grow a conscience during the night?” she teased him. 

She took Ferris' hands in her own, looking him right in the eyes. 

“You heard that, sweet Ferris? He grew a conscience between the day he asked you to kill your best friend and today.” she laughed “Isn’t it wonderful? There is hope for us all.”  
“Nyah? But there is nothing wrong with master's order!”  
“STOP! CUT! COUPÉ! Don’t put words in my mouth please!” 

Subaru pushed Elsa out of the way and sat in front of Meili. She was still a child, he had to instill some moral and good values in her head. 

“You see, Meili, you can’t start killing people for no reason.”  
“But-” she tried to object.  
“I said… and I stand by those words: ‘The end justifies the means’” Subaru took Meili’s hand. “And the means need an end to make sense.” he touched her forehead with a single finger. “My path is clear, I see what is needed and what is superfluous. That’s because I never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never lose sight of my goal!”

Suddenly, he got up and knocked the chair he was sitting on, on the ground. He would always put himself in a feverish frenzy when he was thinking about his Emilia. 

“When playing chess, you don’t sacrifice a piece after piece for nothing. When you take a pawn in your hand, when you send him to die, you always do so for a greater end.” he raised his arms in the air, letting his soul speak for itself. “Purpose! Aim! Meaning! When you design the destiny of others, you must keep those in mind!” 

No words could transcribe the holiness of a divine mission.

Subaru stopped his monologue. He looked disoriented for a second before looking then smiling at his Meili. He gently put his chair back on its legs and sat back on it. 

“In other words, no killing for shit and giggles... But!”  
“But?” Elsa and Meili echoed.  
“But! Nyah!”  
“But, if the untimely death of the hunted is what it takes to fulfill your ambitions.” he smiled “I will lend you my hand without hesitation. I am a man who is not afraid to pay the ugliest prices.” he raised Meili’s chin to make sure she looked him in the eyes. “So tell me, Meili. Tell me what lays inside your mind. What needs to be done to lighten your heart? What needs to be done for you to be free.” he talked as he already knew the answer.

Meili felt unsettled by Subaru intensity, he had the same look in his eyes when he ordered mister Julius’ murder. Diverting her eyes, she took his words to heart and thought back at a hidden desire of hers. 

She remembered a restless night, back when she was a feral girl living in the woods. Living her life like the mabeast around her, before she learned to speak and stand as Elsa did. It was a cold night, most of her pack was suffering from the cold. She kept warm using a rag she found in the forest and dared to distance herself from her pack to seek food. She didn’t know at the time, but her place of residence was the private hunting ground of horrible noblemen. 

Her memories of the night were blurry. They tracked her, hunted her, hurt her, humiliated her, killed her pack, drove her out of her home in the middle of winter. They sent their dogs at her, they tried to capture her, they tried to kill her. She was their prey, she was their plaything, she was the victim of their little game. 

She hated them. She wanted them dead. She wanted to destroy them. She wanted them to be her prey, her plaything, the victim of her little game.

“I know. I know what I want to do.” she said calmly.  
“Perfect.” Subaru took Meili’s hand to kiss it. “Now, now. I must go prepare the game.” he turned toward Ferris. “I leave Meili to you, Ferris. Take good care of her. I will contact you in a few hours.”  
“I won’t disappoint you, master! Nyah!”  
“I know you will. You never disappoint me, Ferris.” he scratched Ferris under his shin.  
“Nyyyaaah! Take care! Please, take care!”

Without another word, Subaru merrily got out of the house. Meili watched him leave and mounting his dragon.

“Tell me, sweetheart. Is it about that night? The night with the two hunters?”  
“Yes… Did you talk to him about it???” she questioned.  
“Never.” she smiled before kissing her forehead. “Never. I will never betray your secrets." 

Elsa took the little dolls and put them in front of Meili. 

“Now, why don’t you play with Ferris.” 

Meili gave the Ferris doll to his namesake and took both the Elsa and the Reinhard dolls for herself. Ferris was a lousy playmate but he followed her instructions alright. They then went to her room to have a bigger play’s space. She didn’t have many toys, especially since they were often on the move but her imagination made up for it. 

“Ferris, quick heal me! I must kill the ‘Sword Saint’” Meili said, imitating Elsa’s voice. “All the healing of the world won’t help you, murderer!” she used her deepest voice to play Reinhard.  
“As you wish! I will save you, miss Elsa. I won’t let my master's friend be hurt!”  
“Thank you, sweet Ferris!” / “Gut Hunter Elsa, prepare to meet your doom!” 

In her little story, the ‘Sword Saint’ lost. Subaru said that you couldn’t destroy his body, only his mind but she didn’t like that ending. So in her story, Reinhard died and Elsa, Subaru, and her lived happily ever after. A part of her was afraid Subaru would abandon her the day he put his lady love on the throne. He said not to fear, for his work ends only with his death and his death only, so they would be together ‘until death do us part’. 

After the fight, she gave the Meili doll to Ferris and switched Reinhard with Subaru. She decided to play house. Elsa would be the mother, Subaru the father, and she would be their child. Meili blushed at the thought, she was too old to play house. She felt really childish as she made believe she had a normal family, but she did it nonetheless. 

Elsa brought them lunch directly in her room, eating in her room was usually forbidden, but for today she gave it a pass. The meal was nothing fancy, just a few potatoes with salt. Meili didn’t really care, potatoes were both delicious and nutritious, so she could eat them for every meal. And that was not far from what they did anyway. 

After her meal, she continued to play with Ferris, this time Elsa joined them for an hour. She insisted on playing with the dolls to ‘their full potential’. Ergo, the Subaru doll (Dolbaru) was wearing its guts as a scarf for the whole game. 

Once Elsa returned to her own activities, Meili stopped playing with the dolls and started drawing. She drew all her mabeast friends, from the small mouse to the imposing bear, they were all her friends! 

She was so lucky, she had a family and dozens of friends. All that was missing was a cute boyfriend. Both Elsa and Subaru thought she was too young, but her pure heart was beginning to think about some obscene things. That was her little secret, but she wouldn’t mind being saved by a sword saint or two. Subaru wouldn’t approve… but it only made it more enticing. 

“Meili, sweetheart?”  
“Yes, Elsa?”  
“Subaru wants us to join him, he is somewhere close to the city of Fleur. It’s two hours away on ground dragon’s back, so get ready!”

It’s been more than six hours since Subaru left, time flies when you’re having fun. 

What was he doing so far away, that was a mystery... but she couldn’t help but hope it was about ‘the hunt’. So she prepared accordingly, she took her hunting gear. Nothing too heavy, she does most of her work through the mabeasts, after all. She was obviously going to bring Gulitylowe with her. She also changed her clothes to wear something more… professional.

“Ferris is going to stay here. Now hurry, child. We have a long way to go.”  
“Nyaaah, travel safe! I’ll watch over the master's house in your absence.” 

They both rode on the same ground dragon, she was light enough to not burden the poor beast too much. She put Gulitylowe on her head to free some much-needed space. After almost two hours they reached the city of Fleur. Once there, Elsa took out her communication mirror, it came from a set of metias Subaru brought/found/stole/looted. 

“Good evening! Did you miss me? You can say you miss me!”  
“Woof!”  
“I’m sorry Gulitylowe says no!” Meili laughed.  
“Being denied in such a way… my heart hurts.” he faked a sad expression. “You should be a little nicer to your GPS, you know. Especially when he is guiding you through a dark forest.” 

They were indeed riding along the edge of a thick forest. Subaru guided them to him, making them pass by thin, hidden paths between the trees. This forest was unknown to Meili, but she could hear some mabeasts howling in the distance. If she closed her eyes, she could feel the presence of smaller ones near her. It made her feel at home. 

It took almost one hour to reach Subaru, who was sitting near a cage mostly covered by a thick rag. When he saw approaching he got up, running to them with a ladle in his hand. 

“Finally here! It’s almost time!” he was giddy. “Now, come here!” 

Putting the ladle between his teeth, he lifted Meili off the ground dragon before putting her on the ground. Elsa got off on her own, dusting off her dress in the process. Subaru took the little girl by the hand and brought her to the mysterious cage. Placing himself in front of it, he used the ladle to violently hit the cage multiple times, causing a deafening cacophony.

“Rise and shine, sunshines!” 

He then took off the rag, revealing two people, noblemen, sitting in the cage. He then crouched near Meili, sharing the point of view she had of the prisoners. 

“You recognized them, don’t you?” he whispered in her ear. “Because they don’t, maybe you should introduce yourself.” 

None of them dared to look Meili in the eyes, they were terrified (of her? No, of Subaru obviously). Still, she didn’t need their consent to examine them. She looked at their facial features, their hair, their stature.

“Can I… Could you make them speak?” she asked.  
“You heard her!” 

None of them reacted, they just started at their feet. Unmoving. 

Not saying a word, Subaru got up and just banged once again the ladle on the bars of the cage. Both jumped on place, struck by a rush of absolute panic. Were they afraid of the goddamn ladle? In front of their silence, Subaru slightly raised the ladle once more. 

“No more! Please, no more!” one of them spoke.  
“Why don’t you introduce yourself, then?” Subaru then murmured to Meili. “It’s pavlovian, truly amazing.” 

Meili was too focused on the prisoners to listen to his blabbering, she could only listen to them. They presented themselves, their names (Franz and Abel) were unfamiliar. But their voices. their accents, their intonations…

It was them. She was sure of it. She could see herself, hopelessly trying to run away as they mocked and taunted her. She could hear their dogs, the sound of their arrows brushing past her, the explosion of their magic next to her ear. 

Meili took a step toward them, as Subaru gave her the ladle. 

“My name is Meili Porterout.” a bang. “Proud member of the assassin organization.” a bang. “The girl you hunted in the woods four years ago.” a bang. “And the girl who is going to hunt you today.” a bang. “And, I, won’t let you get away.” 

Elsa got teary eyes, it was beautiful. Her Meili grew so fast, time passed by too quickly.

“Bravo! BRAVO!” Subaru clapped. “I’m so lucky to witness such a breath-taking event! The liberation of a young girl’s heart! An act of absolute retribution!” He then faced the two men. “Dear Franz, dear Abel. We’re going to free you from the cage then we will chase you down! Ok? Ok! That’s simple enough!”  
“...”  
“We’ll give you a head start though… Let me think.” Subaru faked being lost in thought. “Elsa, do you have a proposition?”  
“Aaah, I need to think too~” she got close to the cage, licking her lips. “They look so delicious, I want to gut them there and now.” she sighed. “But that wouldn’t be a hunt then…”  
“We’ll let luck decide then! Haha!” 

Subaru pulled a coin out of nowhere and threw it in the air. He didn’t even take the time to explain how it would work, he just did it. 

“Tail!”  
“...” everybody held their breath. What did it mean? 

Subaru opened the cage door and got out of the way. 

“Ready? Go! You have the time I’m going to need to pull three tails in a row.” he tossed the coin again. “It could be ten seconds or five minutes, If I were you I wouldn’t waste a single heartbeat.” 

They rushed out of the cage without looking back, unfortunately for them, their panic made run in the same direction. One of them dared to look back, and he saw the coin behind toss one more time. 

Whistling, Subaru continues to toss his coin without a care in the world. Both Elsa and Meili had their eyes glued to the coin: going up and down and up and down. 

Up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down.

Up, down. 

“Meili?”  
“Yes?”  
“Your new life begins now. Go!” 

Meili threw Gulitylowe in the air, allowing him to transform into his true mabeast form. From a puppy to a hellbound wolf, Gulitylowe let a spine-curling howl as it landed on the ground. Meili sat proudly astride her loyal companion and rushed in the same direction as the prisoners. Elsa followed suits before diverting in another direction after a few minutes. 

“Let’s go, Gulitylowe! Find, find, find our prey, don’t let them get away~” she sang as she led chase on her friend’s back. “Hear me, mister, and misses of the forest. Find the two men who are running for their life, and bring them to me!” 

Gulitylowe slalomed between the trees and made every other animal on his way run away in fear. She knew she would find a least one of them very soon, very, very soon. She was euphoric, she knew she was going to sleep the best sleep of her life afterward. 

Gulitylowe howled: the target was on sight, the smaller one of the pair. He was running straight ahead, Meili decided he was too dumb to live. As she got closer, the sound of broken twigs under Gulitylowe’s paws alerted the man.

“Dona!” the man summoned a wall of earth between him and Meili. 

Meili laughed in front of how pathetic the spell was, Gulitylowe easily jumped over it. He could not delay his end. 

“Ul Dona!!” a dome of earth erected from the ground, surrounding him completely. 

A change of tactic. More effective than anything he did before, but he forsook any chance of escaping in the process. Pitiful, he wanted to extend his life as long as possible.

Meili stopped in front of the dome, as other mabeasts came from the wood to surround their prey. 

“Mister in the dome, are you afraid?”

No response. 

“Mister in the dome, I know you are.” 

No response. 

“Mister in the dome, don’t be. A friend is already by your side.”

As Meili talked, the ground under the dome shook and shook. An oversized mabeast mole emerged from the ground, catching the man's foot before returning from where it came. It came back at the surface outside the dome, just in front of the girl. 

The man already beaten by his underground trip tried to get away at all costs. But other mabeasts came to pin in down on the ground. He screamed as their fangs violated his flesh and ground his bones. Meili walked over to him before addressing him. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. The mabeasts have already claimed you, and they’re not fond of people stealing their food.” she caressed the nearest mabeast. “Do as you will. When you’re finished with him, bring him to the one who smells like the witch. But no hurting him, ok!” the mabeast nobbed. “Good boy.” 

She watched as the man was dragged away by a dozen ravenous mabeasts. She knew they would take care of him, it was vengeance for all of her friends they killed that day. They died to protect her, and now she avenged them. 

Now was the time to finish the hunt, find the other one. She wanted to see the fear in his eyes.

Climbing back on Gulitylowe, she resumed her chase. She could still hear the one she already captured in the distance, it was music to her ears. 

The other one could be anywhere in the forest, so it took some time for Gulitylowe to find a lead. 

As she was speeding through the wood, she heard a faint voice. Soon, Gulitylowe stopped abruptly, sending Meili flying above him. She crashed on the ground, hitting a tree at full speed. Recovering from the impact, she saw that her mabeast’s paw was trapped in ice. 

Hearing the voice again, she barely dodged a volley of icicles, then another one. The attacker kept harassing her by hailing hundreds of ice shards. She tried to get help from other mabeasts, but they soon fell victim to the icy blitzkrieg. 

She couldn’t locate the attacker, and she couldn’t dodge for eternity. She bit her lips drawing blood, she was in a difficult position. 

A bad scenario became worse when she got hit by one of the ice shards, freezing her legs solid. Her incapacitation made her attacker complacent and he revealed himself to her, surely to gloat over her. It was the second prisoner, her supposed target. 

She failed, she wasn’t the hunter anymore. The night repeated itself, and she was his prey. She called for more mabeast but they all got frozen in an instant. How did Subaru even capture this man? 

He raised his arm and concentrated mana in his palm.

“I’ll make you suffer little bitch! Don’t think it’s the end of it! I’ll------ AAARRRGHHH!”

He fell on the ground, doubling over in pain. 

“My, my… I’m sorry to intervene, but the situation got out of control here.”  
“ELSA!”  
“I’m here, I’m here. No fear, no fear.” with skilled blade work she freed Meili.

The man, taking advantage of their discussion, silently raised his remaining arm to sneak a surprise attack. Unfortunately for him, Gulitylowe managed to free himself from the ice trap. 

“AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!” Gulitylowe threw himself at the arm to tear it away. 

With his powerful jaw, he made a short work of the arm. 

“Charming, so charming.” Elsa laughed. “You can say that being armless made him harmless.” she laughed again. 

She took out a rope that she brought with her and tied it around the man's feet.

“Now, now. For being a bad boy, you get to be put on a leash.” she licked her lips. “Let’s go, sweetheart.” 

Silently Meili reunited with Gulitylowe and followed Elsa, who dragged the man along. He screamed, shouted, and swore at them. But without his arms, he couldn’t make the mana flow properly. He tried what he saw others do, focusing the mana to his feet, but nothing. No tears would teach him a skill that takes years to master. 

Meili looked back at the man. If not for Elsa, he would have killed her, maybe even tortured her. It would have been a gruesome conclusion to that night, years ago. But she wasn’t alone this time. She smiled, she had her family now. 

It took them twenty minutes to reunite with Subaru, but the man didn’t seem to get any calmer. 

“Elsa! Meili! You did it! You did it! I knew this would be the good one!” Subaru waved at them. “And you brought a souvenir! How fitting!”  
“Our Meili did a good job. Consider her goals fulfilled.” Elsa said. “Now, love. Where do you want to put the bad man?”

Meili looked around her, this place was nothing but a small pseudo-plain in the middle of the forest. There was nothing but grass surrounded by trees. Only the cages and the two ground dragons stood out. Well, when you’re in a forest, you take advantage of the trees. 

“Let’s hang him by the feet. Toooo..” she looked around. “THIS TREE!”  
“What a wonderful idea, that way his guts will be hanging from him too!” 

She did as Meili told. And even though Meili didn’t ask, she made sure to enjoy herself too. She slowly, lovingly sliced his stomach, bringing out his intestines.

“Those are incredible, aah.” 

Meili said nothing, she wasn’t a fan of gutting, but that man’s screams were never unwelcome. Suddenly, she felt something brushing against the nape of her neck.

“Ah! You did teach us a good lesson! Thank you for helping us improve!” 

Meili turned around to see eye to eye with a human skull. She went pale before noticing the arm coming out of it. 

It was Subaru puppeting the skull. 

“It is I, Abel! Hahaha! Your loyal friends brought me here! And they barked at the charming man over there for almost half an hour!” 

She took the skull out of his hand and threw it on the ground. 

“Not funny?” he asked.  
“No! Not funny at all!” she could almost slap him, she wasn’t in the mood for bad jokes.  
“Ok, ok.” he pinched her cheeks. “If you need to rest, why not sit and watch Elsa’s doing her art?” 

She was so tired that she just sat where she stood, and Subaru took place next to her. 

“My, my. Do you wish to attend my private anatomy class?” she smiled.  
“Yes, ma’am.” Meili wanted to show interest, but she was too tired to. "Hey, Subaru."  
"Yes, yes?"  
"You remember this morning... when you told me you could sew me another doll?  
"I said that?" he looked at Meili, she seemed disappointed. "Ah, yes! I did! I just remembered!"  
"Could you sew me a doll of this man? Gut included?" she asked timidly.  
"Aaaah."  
"Please, pretty please." she used her best puppy's eyes.  
"Accorded. You'll have your doll." he smiled. "You drove a hard bargain, though.." 

She laughed quietly. The evening exhausted her, but it was worth it. Today was nothing but a succession of surprises and failures but in hindsight, it was the best day of her life. 

She laid her head to rest on Subaru’s shoulder as sleep overtook her. 

Her last thought before falling asleep was about what her little family would do for her next birthday. She knew that as long as Elsa, Subaru, and Gulitylowe were by her side, it could be nothing but perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Writing for the what if is fun.


End file.
